Bakers Journal March 2018 : Page 24

What’s up and coming with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat? | BY MICHELLE BRISEBOIS #FOOD D o you feel like you can’t keep up with the latest trends in social media marketing? Join the club. Social media tools and trends change more frequently than your menu does and it can be hard to stay on top of new channels and new features for existing channels. A strong social media strategy is a vital part of a culinary marketing plan. After all, food is an incredibly social product and it’s visually appealing -it’s a marriage made in heaven. To help navigate the quag-mire of choices, we’ve com-piled a list of those channels most frequently used by con-sumers and a peek at where they fit in your strategy along-side what you need to know about upcoming features and changes. FACEBOOK Considered one of the social media elders, Facebook is an-cient in digital terms but a powerful channel when used properly. If Facebook were an ingredient in your bakery, it would be flour. Facebook is also the digital equivalent of a dinner party. People are connected by invita-tion and the conversation is intimate. In terms of your tone and manner as a business, you need to honour that with posts that are conversational and warm. Facebook has done a lot of soul searching post U.S. elec-tion about their role in becom-ing a trusted news source and a place where we can connect with the people we most want to be close to. As CEO/Founder Mark Zukerberg said in Janu-ary: “We built Facebook to help people stay connected and bring us closer together with the people that matter to us. That’s why we’ve always put friends and family at the core of the experience.” Facebook is changing its al-gorithms to prioritize personal posts over ads and even those personal posts that get the most engagement. Live videos are viewed almost six times more often than regular videos so use that feature to connect with your customers. Do post pictures of your food and exciting news about new menu items and promo-tions. Make sure to write copy that includes a bit of wry The Twitter tone is direct, conversational and spontaneous. Humour is a great fit on this platform. 24 BAKERS JOURNAL / MARCH 2018 www.bakersjournal.com